Sigh no more
by kilroyactual117
Summary: Battlefields are filled with lies and deception. Bonds forged in combat may not be easily broken, but the mistrust and discord wrought by war will get a soldier as surely as a bullet. Joes don't lie to their teammates, and they don't let each other down. At least that was what Scarlett thought, before Snake eyes lied to her through his teeth.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Chapter one of my first new fic in too long!**

 **This one is gonna be short, only two chapters long. I need to make some minor edits and then publishing should move rather quickly. This is my first foray into G.I. Joe after being a long time fan of the RAH comics series, and thoroughly enjoying the Renegades cartoon, on which this fic is based.**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **"The bond between those who have been through combat together is a brotherhood sealed in blood and watched over by the ghosts of those who fell."**

 **-Scarlett, RAH issue #150**

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Scarlett wrinkled her nose at the warm bag that dangled between her thumb and index finger, labeled: MRE, sweet and sour chicken.

 _More like lime juice and vomit_ , she thought,and tossed it aside.

Being detained for an ongoing investigation at the Pentagon was hardly a vacation, but given all the horrid places she'd been over the last year, she wasn't about to complain.

She reclined onto the simple rack afforded to her by General Abernathy and sighed contentedly for the first time in ages. It felt cathartic when she turned herself in along with the Joes, after finally obtaining proof of foul play on Cobra's part.

It felt good not to be on the run anymore. It felt good to be the good guy again.

She ran her hands gently over the covers of her cot, feeling the coarse wool threads beneath her fingers. To the GI's that normally slept on them, she was sure they felt like sleeping in a roll of sandpaper while they yearned for a warm bed back home, but to Scarlett, it felt like fine silk.

She couldn't remember how long it's been since she slept in a bed. She'd spent nearly all of her last year running from Cobra and sleeping in a crowded truck with three enlisted infantrymen. Rancid smells and snoring became as much a part of her sleep pattern as her dreams.

If that wasn't enough to make someone have it out for Cobra and the Army, she didn't know what was.

She sighed and rolled over onto her side. She had to much on her mind to sleep. It wasn't going to be easy to integrate back into the Army, especially when most of the JCS still had their doubts about her loyalty and innocence.

Good thing Abernathy had their back. The general was kind enough to afford each of the Joes their own separate room, and Scarlett was going to make the most of it.

She closed her eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. She always had trouble with this part, even before she went on the run. Duke once accused her of never leading a combat mission because she was with Army Intel. The truth was, she saw more action in a year than the average infantryman experienced in a lifetime of sitting at a forward operating base waiting to go outside the wire. She didn't want to talk, think, or even be conscious of the horrors she saw perpetrated by Cobra and the many other enemies she fought in her years in the Army. Right now, she just needed rest.

Scarlett was feeling far too jittery to sleep tonight. She felt a presence draw near as she shifted around in her rack. During her apprenticeship with Snake Eyes—yet another person she didn't want to think about right now—she learned to detect would be assailants by their footsteps, the sound of their breathing, and even their heartbeat.

She held perfectly still and waited for the intruder to approach. She'd have the element of surprise if they drew close enough for a strike before she made her move.

It didn't take long for her to realize this wasn't an intruder, or rather, it wasn't a hostile intruder. His footsteps were lighter than any of the other jar headed grunts or fat, loud officers in the Pentagon, and the distinctive sound of his slow, careful breathing gave him away before he even cleared the door.

 _Snake Eyes_.

The ninja closed in until he was almost close enough to touch her. She held perfectly still until she felt his hand come to rest on the small of her back. She tensed in surprise at his touch. How could he allow himself to be so familiar with her after all that had gone on between the two of them?

She knew he didn't believe her act. A ninja master like Snake Eyes was smart enough to realize when someone was awake, but he continued, sensing no negative reaction from her. The scarred hand, capable of such violence, touched her gently, warming her and easing the tension in her shoulders. If she weren't in turmoil over how she felt about the man attached to that hand, she might welcome the warm sensation of rough flesh gliding over her body in such a familiar way.

Which begged the question, what the fuck was he doing here? He didn't care enough about her to tell her that her father was dead, yet he'd invite himself in to stare at her while she was sleeping.

But Snake Eyes hadn't touched her in such a tender way in a very, long time, so she was inclined to let him continue.

They didn't have very many opportunities to keep up their romance up while on the run from Cobra, and for the most part, it went completely by the wayside. She remembered how good his hands used to feel running over her aching ribs and back after a long day of training. Thankfully the Arashikage didn't have any explicit rules about banging their students, and she didn't complain when training with him began to have additional perks.

She was his student long before anything got serious between the two of them. She remembered watching as the silent Ninja's attraction to her grew.

First, he asked her to stop calling her sensei, and then he lifted his mask from his face during practice without warning. He revealed to her the scarred face of a man who had been to hell and back. It wasn't pretty. Burn marks forever seared his flesh leaving a permanent reminder of some horrible tragedy he wouldn't reveal. He gave this part of himself up to her as an offering of complete and absolute trust, and she returned it in kind.

She remembered how he didn't pull away when she reached forward to caress his jawline with just her fingertips.

Time stood still. Only the pounding of her heart and his sharp inhale of breath were audible when she touched him. His eyes never left hers while she acknowledged this moment of shared trust.

He had never let himself be this vulnerable with another human being. Growing up on the streets of a Japan taught him to trust no one, and that the closer you let someone get to you the easier it was for them to kill you. She managed to pierce his guard, however, like a well-executed sword strike.

She pressed her lips to his in an earnest, silent kiss. He didn't have a voice to say how he felt, so he acted. They took the time to forge themselves into something more than a teacher and a student. She didn't fall too hard for him initially, and tried to keep things physical, but it couldn't stay that way for long. Their time together meant too much to both of them.

Even before they became part of the Joes, their relationship only consisted of a few stolen hours between numerous demanding missions. It wasn't much, but it was theirs.

Little had she known that Snake Eyes was keeping secrets from her. She remembered how wholly he gave himself to her each time they were together, and how he let her make love to his scarred body. The affection he returned was gentle, but almost tentative. Why did he give so much of himself while holding back something so critical?

This thought snapped her back to reality.

She turned around slowly to find Snake Eye's masked face staring back at her. He let his hand linger a moment longer before pulling it away. He slowly lifted up his mask, and leaned in to kiss her.

She frowned and shifted her head at the last moment, causing his lips to land on her cheek. Some part of her didn't want this. Another part of her wanted to pull him close and let him take away the pain of a year on the run.

The feeling evaporated, however when she remembered how he kept his knowledge of her father's death from her. He was one of the few people she told about him, and how guilty she felt for how they parted. How could he have gone so many years without telling her that he knew how her father died? Could he even fathom how much peace that small bit of information would have given her?

"I'm sorry Snake Eyes," she said tenderly.

Try as she might, she couldn't be mad at him. She still loved him, she just wasn't sure she was ready to trust him again until she knew why he did what he did.

"I just need a little bit of time."

He nodded and abruptly replaced his mask, sealing his expression from her. All attempts at communicating with him ended when he abruptly changed the subject by thrusting her plasma-pulse crossbow into her hands and set her plate carrier and pistol belt on the end of the bed.

Scarlett frowned. He hadn't come to apologize. This was this was just another mission.

"What's wrong Snake?" She asked, trying to reach him one more time. "Where are we going?"

Snake Eyes placed a finger on either side of his mouth. They were meant to represent fangs. It was his symbol for Cobra. He then mimed bringing his handgun into battery, an easy way to say he was ready to kill. Looks like he snuck out of the Pentagon and found some Cobra targets for the two of them to hit.

Scarlett smiled, he was such a romantic.

She had been trapped in this room for weeks waiting to take the fight to Cobra. Unfortunately, the Joint Chiefs were doing a superb job of dragging their feet in spite of overwhelming evidence. She was getting impatient, and evidently, so was Snake Eyes.

She sighed and accepted her crossbow. It was half past midnight, and honestly she just wanted to rest, but maybe a mission together would help rebuild their mutual trust.

Dressed only in her issue tank top and shorts, Scarlett rose from the damp tangle of olive drab sheets and stretched in an exaggerated manner.

Groaning as her bones popped and her muscles slowly unwound. She ran her fingers through her crimson hair to wake herself before glancing over at Snake Eyes. Even behind his mask, the tilt of his head, the rigid stillness of his body, and the slowness of his breath all showed her he was admiring her.

She wasn't thin and delicate like so many other girls, which she knew he appreciated. Instead she was a gorgeous combination of lean muscle and defined curves. She hadn't yet learned to sense heart rates, as he had, but she was sure his was pounding.

He glanced away guiltily when their eyes met. Scarlett glared at him but said nothing. She wasn't particularly mad at him, nor did she blame him. Typically she allowed him to be very familiar with her body, today, however...

She tried not to think about it as she slipped on a pair of BDU's and pulled her plate carrier on. She slid her pistol into its holster and tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm ready," she said, successfully hiding the conflicting emotions raging in her heart.

Snake Eyes nodded and moved to the window he came in through. Most of the windows in the Pentagon were half a foot thick and capable of withstanding ordnance from most main battle tanks, but leave it to Snake Eyes to find a way to pry one off without setting off any alarms. He gently slid the large piece of glass into her room without making a sound, exposing her quarters to the cold, night air.

Scarlett attached her crossbow tie line bolt to a pipe just below her window before adjusting the tension on its winch to support two people for the descent down the Pentagon's seventy-seven foot high walls.

Snake Eyes clung to her back as she engaged the winch and lowered them to the ground. She cursed herself for closing her eyes and enjoying the feeling of his warmth. It really was a tender, human sensation. She didn't have many moments like this while spending her time in the company of grunts that never shut up and regularly flirted with her in a mocking way.

If they weren't such good, loyal soldiers, she would have kicked the shit out of each and every one of them long ago. But that was the key word, loyal. Loyal to the end in spite of all of their shortcomings.

Regardless, it felt nice to be rid of them for a while and simply be held by someone in total silence.

When they hit the ground, she retracted the crossbow's line and made a break through some bushes to the motorcycle Snake Eyes stashed nearby.

The damn thing still gave her the creeps. Why Snake Eyes decided to hold onto a bike owned by Zartan was completely beyond her. Everything about that man made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. She couldn't dream up a worse nightmare than a murderous, hog riding rapist turned Cobra assassin.

Regardless, the machine served its purpose. She'd make him get rid of it later.

Snake Eyes cleared the brush from where he hid it and hopped on, followed by Scarlett. She wrapped her hands securely around his waist as he sped off. She tried to convince herself that the reason she enjoyed resting her head on Snake Eye's shoulder was exhaustion, but she couldn't deny how nice it felt to be in the company of another human being.

Snake Eyes glanced over at her, his impenetrable visor meeting her piercing green eyes. She wanted to see his eyes again, but she feared they would only bring pain as she remembered his betrayal. She knew he had a reason for doing what he did, and yet she still couldn't trust that that reason wasn't self-centered.

"Eyes on the road Snake," she snapped.

He nodded once before turning his attention back to the late night Washington traffic.

Snake Eyes took them across the Potomac River and into Delaware, where they found an old, abandoned steel mill in an industrial area. It seemed Cobra could never get enough of hiding in shady places like these.

Snake Eyes killed the engine as they approached and stashed it in a small work shed, before retrieving a hardcase from the side of the motorcycle. Scarlett followed Snake Eye's lead and mirrored his precise footing as he silently approached the mill. Clearly he'd scoped the place out well.

The two of them stuck to the shadows, avoiding the eerie orange glow of street lights that illuminated the crumbling road leading to and from the facility. Snake Eyes jumped up a fire escape of a nearby two-story building. Scarlett followed, using her ascension cable to reach the top. Snake Eyes dropped the case he was carrying before popping it open to reveal a sniper rifle that was stripped down into pieces.

He deftly assembled the weapon, a Barrett Arms M208, which resembled their old M107 but modernized to use plasma pulse ammunition.

The rounds it fired didn't glow like the ones that came from her crossbow. They were designed to emit radiation outside of the visible spectrum, but it was no less powerful of a weapon.

 _Someone back at the Pentagon is missing their favorite toy_ , thought Scarlett.

He turned the weapon to the steel mill to use it to survey the terrain while Scarlett pulled out a pair of binoculars to do the same. At first glance, the facility looked like any other east coast factory. The last time it's furnaces fired was years ago, leaving it a rusted out hulk of what it once was, and its grounds littered with old pieces of machinery that no longer served a purpose.

On closer inspection, however, it was clear that not only was Cobra here, but it was sloppy with its protection of this facility.

Armed and uniformed Cobra guards were barely hidden behind pieces of metal and inside abandoned guard shacks, laying in wait as though they expected an ambush. Near the old loading dock, several, unmarked Cobra X2 trucks were being loaded with all manner of crates and supplies.

The troopers who packed the trucks all looked like they were moving with a purpose. They were about to abandon this facility.

Scarlett began to scan the scaffolding that ran along the smokestacks that once were used to scrub sulfur from the plant's emissions, and found not one, but two glints from unhidden sniper scopes. Just as quickly as she noticed them, however, they were gone. Two plumes of blood accompanied by the sound of two suppressed shots of plasma alerted Scarlett to the fact that Snake Eyes saw the snipers as well.

He was as deadly and merciless as ever.

He motioned for Scarlett to give him her crossbow, which she did without question. She learned in her years with Snake Eyes to always trust his plans, even if she couldn't discern at all what they were. Or at least, she thought she could trust him.

As Snake Eyes pulled the weapon out of her hand, she held onto it for a moment longer, causing him to spin his head to look at her in surprise. She frowned and then let go of the weapon. This man saved her life many times before. Why did she let this one little act drive a wedge between them like this?

Snake Eyes bowed his head apologetically before deftly aiming and firing her crossbow from the building and embedding its bolt into one of the mill's dormant blast furnaces. He drew his sword, still in its sheath, and hooked it over the line the bolt towed.

He sped down the zip line at incredible speed toward the Cobra troops, letting go inches before he plastered himself on the side of the old, rusted furnace, and landing silently.

Scarlett watched him roll to a stop, and started breathing again when she watched him draw his weapon and slip into the shadows.

Snake eyes moved with precision and speed towards a pair of Cobra troopers. He killed the first one silently with a blow to the spine from his sheath, which he wielded like a baton, then grabbed the other guard, covered his mouth, and jabbed upward into his heart. Snake Eyes glanced over his shoulder into the darkness where Scarlett stood. He couldn't see her, but he knew she watched over him.

Not that he would admit it, but Scarlett was his talisman. From the first time she saw his scars and didn't recoil in disgust, he knew she would always be there to watch over him.

Scarlett realized that Snake Eyes's efficiency would have shocked anyone else, but to her, it was at most normal. Even as he cut down trooper after trooper she hardly batted an eye at the violence that a man who treated her so tenderly was capable of.

She decided she would be of more use firing the sniper rifle than admiring Snake Eyes's handiwork, and quickly shouldered the large and unwieldy weapon. It's thick stock, a vestigial feature from when weapons still had recoil, fit awkwardly into her shoulder, but she could manage. She centered the crosshair on a Cobra trooper near the gate and squeezed the trigger gently. The silent and invisible plasma impacted the trooper just below his helmet and all but melted his head off his shoulders.

Scarlett shuddered at the sight, magnified twelve times right before her eyes. She could do killing up close and personal, but there was something about long range shots that really got her. Maybe it was how impersonal it was, or how her victims didn't even have a chance to get any questions of their own morality off their mind before they suddenly flashed out of existence.

At any rate, it wasn't worth dwelling on.

Her shot dropped the Cobra trooper in mid sentence. The officer standing next to him dove for cover. Scarlett heard the radio crackle to life while he radioed in the attack, pulling the majority of the troopers to the front gate and away from Snake Eyes. The troopers filed neatly into position near the front gate to defend it and inadvertently walked right into Scarlett's trap.

Sniping wasn't exactly rocket science with this weapon. No rounds meant no need to account for the wind, powder grain, air pressure, the curvature of the earth, angle of elevation, or the speed of the target. As long as her crosshairs were on their mark, every shot was a guaranteed kill.

She dropped three Cobra troopers with three successive shots before the rest of them got smart and took cover, refusing to expose themselves to any additional casualties. Their choice suited Scarlett just fine.

She swung the large rifle around to Snake Eyes's position, only to find that he didn't need her help. A trail of torn and bloody corpses lead from Snake eye's entry point to the convoy of X2 trucks parked at the loading zone. Snake Eyes was facing down the last of the Cobra troopers, who took cover behind a stack of pallets piled high with wooden crates.

Snake eyes glanced to Scarlet once again, noticing the glint of her scope in the moonlight before closing in on his pray.

As he bore down on them, one of the troopers broke cover and dove forward in panic, and in his confusion, toppled one of the nearby boxes onto Snake Eyes.

The ninjutsu master dodged the strike with only a light scrape on his shoulder, but it was what was inside the boxes that worried Scarlett. When the wood splintered open several glass canisters of Bioviper material rolled out.

Snake eyes tried to ignore the new hazard, and focus on his targets, but it was too late.

In a final act of desperation, the trooper drew his pistol and cried out in agony before shooting one of the canisters, causing it rupture and explode. The trooper was thrown hard onto his back a hundred feet away and didn't move again, most likely dead. The contents of the canisters splattered, hitting Snake Eyes and the surrounding area.

 _Shit, shit shit_ , cursed Scarlett.

If there was one thing in the world Scarlett hated without reservation it was hat damned, blue goo.

It wasn't long before the material began to transform into a collection of Biovipers. The ten-foot tall behemoths closed in on Snake Eyes as he backed up against the concrete wall of the loading dock. He drew his plasma pistol and sword, using both to simultaneously fight off his attackers.

Scarlett knew he wouldn't last long against odds like that. She swung her rifle one hundred and eighty degrees and took aim. With a deep breath she pushed away everything but her targets. Scarlett walked the targets counting them down, and fired round after round into the heads of the Biovipers. Each shot connected, but none of them affected the gelatinous creatures. These four were probably rejects, and weren't implanted with control chips, making head shots useless.

Thinking quickly, she picked up her crossbow, which Snake Eyes so kindly left for her, and loaded an explosive bolt.

She kept two of these C4 infused bolts clipped to the back of plate carrier on special missions for emergencies only. They each carried enough explosive force to pierce a main battle tank's armor, or to put a group of Biovipers down for the count. It was Snake eye's only chance, but if the Vipers didn't absorb enough of the blast he might be caught in it as well.

"Snake, hit the deck," she yelled into her com link seconds before letting the bolt fly.

Snake Eyes obliged without question, quickly ducking and covering his head.

The bolt found its mark in a Bioviper's back and blew it into a light blue haze, along with the four others that surrounded it. Fire and teal blue goo flew in all directions. When the mist finally cleared, Snake Eyes was still laying in the center of what was left of the vipers. The back of his shirt was torn off, his visor had fallen and shattered, and he wasn't moving.

"Shit," cursed Scarlett, "Snake! I'm coming!"

She never got a response, though. Not even a mic click.

She ran to the improvised zip line Snake Eyes used, and hooked her crossbow's limbs onto the metal wire. She jumped, tucked her knees, and held on.

One of the Cobra troopers on the ground noticed her and pointed her out to his squad. A moment later, a hail of plasma fire ignited the air around Scarlett.

She ignored the fear that coursed through her. She wasn't going to let anything stop her from reaching Snake Eyes.

She grabbed the line with her gloved hand to slow herself, creating a sickening smell as the rubber in her palm burned. She grunted as she extended her legs to absorb the shock and lessen the impact. Regardless, she slammed into the rusty metal hard.

Her boots clanked on the metal as pain shot up her legs from the blow. She didn't have time to think about it, however. She unhooked her crossbow and dropped hard to the ground.

She staggered to her feet and dove for cover while loading a second explosive bolt into her crossbow. She stood and pressed the stock securely into her arm before letting the arrow fly directly into the center of the Cobra unit, exploding their guard shack and sending troopers flying.

She didn't stick around to see how many died. She switched her crossbow to pulse plasma mode and fired a few rounds in the trooper's general direction before making a break for Snake Eyes.

A few rounds peppered the area around her as she rolled into cover behind one of the trucks at the loading dock. She sprinted towards Snake Eyes, and the Biovipers. Fortunately, the damn things were spread so far apart that they wouldn't be reforming soon.

She pressed her head to his chest and found that he was miraculously still breathing. She slapped him a few times to jolt him awake.

"Snake Eyes," she yelled. "Come on! We have to move!"

Genuine fear shot through Scarlett when he didn't budge. She was too late.

A few moments later a Cobra plasma round struck near her head.

Today was not going to end easily.

She pulled Snake Eyes to his feet to haul him into one of the trucks. She flung open the back door, only to find it loaded down with canisters of Bioviper material.

"Fuck!" she cursed as she dragged the unresponsive man inside, slamming the door behind her just as a trooper attempted to throw a grenade inside.

The frag ricocheted off the door and bounced back in the trooper's face. All Scarlett heard was an explosion accompanied by a strangled cry and a wet cracking sound of bones hitting the door.

She didn't have time to make Snake Eyes comfortable. These X2 trucks were built like tanks, but eventually Cobra would find a way in. She ran to the front and keyed the ignition.

 _Just like driving the coyote again_ , she mused, _if Duke wasn't being an asshole and insisting on driving._

On that note, she slammed on the gas, and didn't bother to look for anyone in her way.

A few Cobra troopers were given only seconds to dive clear of the truck's path as it accelerated. One was very unlucky, and only managed to get his torso out of the way. Scarlett cringed as she heard him scream in agony as his legs snapped.

That was a low blow, even against a Cobra trooper.

She couldn't afford to think about it for too long. She needed to get Snake Eyes some medical attention.

She set the truck to autopilot with the Pentagon as its destination. They'd be in deep shit when they got back, but shooting up a Cobra base made it all worth it. That was if Snake Eyes wasn't seriously injured.

Scarlett ran to the back and flung open the door, leveling her crossbow against any Cobra troopers that dared to follow them. None did, however.

They knew they lost the war. There was no use in them fighting a pointless battle with two ordinary Joes.

She closed the door and sprinted to Snake Eyes's side, examining him quickly. He was conscious by now and attempting to sit up. She silently laid a hand on his chest, causing him to cringe in pain and fall back.

She frowned. She hated she seeing him in pain like that.

She did a quick check over of his body but found no new burns and only a few scraps. The Biovipers absorbed most of the heat and concussive force for him.

He wasn't unscathed, however. A little examination revealed a few broken ribs and a broken arm. He was bleeding internally, and was probably concussed. Unfortunately, aside from using a spare Cobra uniform jacket to tie a sling for his arm, it was nothing she could treat here.

Scarlett sank to her knees, casting her crossbow aside and letting out a sigh of relief. She took a moment to let the adrenaline rush of the firefight subside before raking her flame red hair, darkened by sweat, out of her face.

She always needed a few moments to decompress and come back to reality after a mission like this. For a few seconds she would let the world fade away and let a calming peace come over her. Then she would harden her eyes, jump back to her feet, and get back to business.

Snake Eyes reached out and took her hand while she silently sat next to him. Her eyes shot open in surprise from the warm and inviting contact. It was something he did so many items before, why did she have such conflicted feelings about it now?

Snake Eyes looked up at her with pleading eyes, begging her not to reject him and let go. He then reached up and began to trace gentle patterns on her sternum.

Not patterns, letters.

I-A-M-S-O-S-O-R-R-Y, he began shakily, slowly gaining confidence when she didn't pull away.

I-D-I-D-N-T-K-N-O-W-H-O-W-T-O-T-E-L-L-Y-O-U, he wrote sadly, I-M-S-O-R-R-Y-I-L-O-V-E-Y-O-U.

Scarlett smiled conflictedly as he traced the last U.

She couldn't help but be made at him. He'd withheld knowledge from her that she'd been searching for since her investigation into Cobra began, but she shouldn't be taking a bad situation out on him like this.

It was hardly his fault her father was dead, and him telling her he had been there wouldn't have brought him back. Her father was dead because of this shitty corporation's lust for a MASS Device, and nothing else. It was wrong of her to try and implicate Snake Eyes in that.

She took his hand and pressed it to her heart. "No, I'm sorry," she said.

Her cool green eyes met his intense blue and she smiled, leaning down to give him a quick kiss. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his.

"I shouldn't be taking this out on you, it's just..." Her voice trailed off before she could decide what to say. "My father meant everything to me," she finally continued. "and that's not your fault so don't worry about it. I love you, too."

Snake Eyes smiled up at her eyes opened. He ran a hand through her loose hair until his hand came to rest on her neck. He gently pulled her in for a second, longer, more tender kiss. It wasn't laced with passion and C4 like so many of their other kisses. It was slow and tender as if he were letting her set the pace, and Scarlett appreciated that.

Both of them enjoyed the sweet moment of recovery. Scarlett, however, found it hard to reign in her need to be forceful, and soon they were kissing again, much more passionately.

The redhead always liked taking charge in situations like this, and Snake Eyes rarely complained. She outranked him, after all.

It didn't last long, however. Snake Eyes sucked in a hard breath as Scarlett accidentally touched one of his cracked ribs. A hiss managed to make its way through his cut vocal cords. It was the most expressive sound he could make to convey the pain of his injuries.

"Shit," she cursed, backing off him quickly. "Sorry, Snake."

Snake Eyes clenched his teeth and then relaxed slowly back onto the floor of the truck, his head now pulled into Scarlett's lap. Scarlett held back a laugh. It always got her seeing someone so stoic in such a position. She smiled mischievously and reached down to poke him lightly in the ribs. He convulsed in minor pain, which only caused the rest of his body to protest.

He shot her a hurt look that was somewhere between mocking and severe. He only half expected her to do something like that.

She gave him an innocent grin before pulling him further into her embrace.

"Serves you right for getting hurt," she scoffed.

Snake Eyes glared at her like he was going to protest, but quickly gave up and folded into her embrace as she let out a small laugh. She would have fun tormenting him over the weeks to come, and she knew he wouldn't mind. As far as they both were concerned, they were back together, and Cobra's days were numbered.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: After nearly a full year of sitting in my Google Drive, here is the second chapter. Thanks so much to Jaeger Gypsy Danger for editing this and encouraging me to publish it.**

 **This chapter gets a little sexy.**

 **Enjoy! And let me know what you think :)**

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"Company, Attention," yelled Scarlett, her voice strong.

One by one each of the squad leaders called their squads to attention, trickling down the order until all of the men and women present complied. Though they were a motley crew, they were all professionally dressed in the Class A uniforms of their respective services.

For Shana O'Hara, or Scarlett, as she now fully committed to calling herself, and the various other members of General Abernathy's newly commissioned anti-terrorism and counter-intelligence unit, this was a revolutionary moment. They were forging themselves into a team that each and every one they knew would soon be tied together by both duty and fate.

Behind them stood their new home. Though it looked like a National Guard motor pool, it was much more. Over the past few weeks, a vast underground complex was constructed beneath it. Already being called "The Pit" by the various members of the team who helped build it, it was packed with all the best the military had to offer.

The underground labyrinth was complete with an armory stocked with small arms and explosives, a motor pool filled with armor and light vehicles, a server room to monitor hundred of intelligence sources at once, computer-generated environments for training in battlefield-like conditions, life support systems to seal the facility against attack, and living quarters that could provide everything the team would need to stay garrisoned there for extended periods of time.

Aside from the construction crews that were posted around the motor pool for a few months while it was built, no one paid attention to the activity, and those who wandered too close to the construction were convinced by General Abernathy, either through payment or coercion, to never again speak of what they saw again.

Scarlett knew that The Pit would be a huge asset for the team, but she also knew it wasn't the real reason the team would succeed. The success or failure of this outfit laid on the shoulders of the men and women before her.

When General Abernathy first told her about his plan to create a team to mop up what remained of Cobra, as well as any other threats to national security that would inevitably arise, the first condition she gave him was that she be allowed to hand pick the team.

The General grinned at her and nodded. Clearly he expected her to say that.

He reached under his desk and pulled out a thick file folder of dossiers, consisting of all the men and women she associated with while on the run from Cobra and the Army.

"I think you'll find these quite useful," he said, pushing the folder over to her.

Scarlett enthusiastically accepted the folder and thumbed through the contents, noting with pride the list of soldiers she personally selected. Shipwreck, Airtight, Law and Order, Breaker, Heavy Duty, Lady Jaye, Jinx, Stalker, Doc, Steeler, Flint, Snow Job, Barbecue, Wild Bill, and Lift Ticket all joined the original Six Joes to create an impressive unit with a range of different skills and specialties. Each of these men and women had a name and a story before this unit, but the new names they accepted were a symbol of how they were each forgoing their past to become invisible.

On record, their military careers ended today. Not a single one of the deeds they would commit from this day forward would make it into a history book, and if any of them died a report would be falsified, claiming that they died due to simple, occupational hazards to preserve the secrecy of the underground war they were preparing to wage.

No conventional strategist in their right mind would have pieced this unit together as Scarlett did. On paper a group made up of infantry, tankers, Green Berets, medics, pilots, 10nth mountain troops, ninjas, CBRN specialists, Sailors, Cops, ninjas, and firemen should be able to accomplish anything on the battlefield. With the right training and time to bond as a unit, however, Scarlett was sure she could prove conventional wisdom wrong.

Members of the unit who didn't have military experience were sent through Basic Training. Without incident, each passed before being sent off to Survival, escape, resistance, and evasion training and Ranger School with the rest of the team.

The instructor in charge of putting the Joes through their paces, a nasty Army Ranger type by the name of Beach Head, talked to Scarlett beforehand and said he expected 70% of the soldiers she selected to fail the training required to bring them to this point. Yet, here stood each and every one of them.

Before they'd been ordinary Joes. Now, collectively, they were G.I. Joes.

The code name for the unit wasn't her idea. General Abernathy was the one to capitalize on the name the media gave them while they were on the run. He called it fitting, Scarlett called it cheesy, but who was she to argue? After all, the name was handed to her at the same time as Abernathy's own pair of silver Eagles.

"We can't have a lowly First Lieutenant running this outfit, Shana," he said coolly to her as she stared blankly at the promotion she was being offered. "This is a new day, Colonel O'Hara. Make it yours."

Those two, small silver insignia's weighed heavily as accepted her first command of the group of Joes before her.

"Color guard, halt" Said Duke.

He, Ripcord, Tunnel Rat, Roadblock, and Snake Eyes now stood before her. Duke held the American flag close to his chest while Snake Eyes and Roadblock flanked him with ceremonial M14 rifles. Impassive as ever, Snake Eyes still wore his mask, even while he wore his dress uniform. Scarlett was confused why he kept it on. The scars from the fire faded over the years, and none of the Joes would judge him for how marked his skin was. Scarlett guessed that the mask was part of his identity that he was unwilling to give up. The only person who knew what he looked like without it was her, and every time he removed it was an unprecedented moment of trust for both of them.

She turned her attention away from Snake Eyes to examine the rest of the Joes. They were the men and women who accompanied her through thick and thin while on the run from Cobra. Tensions often ran high between them. They were each fundamentally different, with clashing personalities and backgrounds. Somehow, however, they managed to pull through it all not only alive, but stronger for the experience.

"Present arms!" called Duke. "The colors are present."

Scarlett acknowledged him with a nod.

"Post the colors," she ordered.

"Order, Arms," commanded Duke, before marching his detachment to the flag pole.

"Present, arms," he said once Snake Eyes had helped him clip the flag onto the halyard.

Scarlett watched proudly as the men under her command raised the American Flag over Fort Wadsworth. She let a smile cross her face for a brief moment as it flapped in the strong, Atlantic breeze. This was her command now.

"Order arms," commanded Duke, and all of the Joes dropped their hands. "Left, face. Forward, march."

And thus the color guard retreated.

She turned face the crowd of men and women, all poised to follow her lead into whatever hell Cobra or the Army had planned for them.

"I'm not here to waste your time Joes," she said firmly. "I hope none of you signed up for this outfit for ceremonies, or medals, because this is the last piece of excessive formality this unit will ever see. From this day forward, our sole purpose is to find and destroy what remains of Cobra. From what little we have uncovered of their vast recourses, we know that this organization is far from gone. We don't know how many years it has been around, or under how many different names, but I know that each and every person standing here today has seen a different face of Cobra than the one it shows to the public. You've seen how Cobra will lie, kill, mutilate, and warp their enemies, and you know all of the inhuman acts they are willing to commit to do so.

So let's not waste any time Joes. I'll brief you on our next assignment at 21:00 hours. Until then, fall out!"

The squad leaders echoed the order, then all of the soldiers moved as one group towards the entrance of The Pit.

As the crowd parted, Scarlett saw a familiar face reveal itself at the back of the crowd. General Abernathy stood, hidden from her view with his hands clasped behind his back. He looked quite pleased.

"Well done, Colonel," he said, putting extra emphasis on her new rank, "I expect a progress report by the end of the week. Lead them well."

He spun around and walked to a VAMP that was been waiting nearby.

Scarlett watched him leave for a moment before letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding. She had a couple billion dollars in funding and a company of men and women to bring down an international terrorist organization. It was up to her to do the math and make that work.

She about faced as soon as General Abernathy's VAMP was out of view, and entered the motor pool alongside the Joes. It appeared to be any standard US Army motor pool on the surface. It was dirty, lined with disassembled vehicles, and stacked high with flat tires that were worn out during maneuvers. Underneath the surface, however, it was so much more.

Scarlett glanced over to a man who was currently lying on his back, working calmly away at one of the many VAMP assault vehicles that lined the garages hydraulic lift bay. He slid out from underneath the vehicle, revealing his young face and brown beard, both of which we recovered in grease and sweat.

"Clutch, open it up," she said.

The motor vehicle operator nodded

"Yes ma'am," he said with a grin.

Scarlett swore she saw him look her up and down, sizing up her gorgeous, flaming hair, and curves her dress uniform couldn't hide.

That was, until she turned around and shot him a glare that could have docked him two months pay of its own, angry will.

Any trace of a pleased look on Clutch's face went up in smoke, never to be seen again, as he jogged over to the wall where the hydraulic lift controls were and flipped the pneumatic pressure switches in a seemingly random sequence. A moment later the platform that contained the VAMP Clutch was working on began to lower into the ground. That hidden elevator would take them up to 1500 feet underground where The Pit now resided.

Scarlett walked over, along with the rest of the Joes, and took her place on the platform.

The platform finally came to the stop in the center of the Joe's true motor pool.

MOBAT tanks and VAMPS lined the many diagnostics bays, each looked after by a crew of support technicians. Many hallways branched off of the bay, each leading to a different section of the base. Many of the joes walked slowly towards the area marked "living quarters," while Scarlett split off in a different direction. She explored the Pit a little while it was under construction, so she had a better idea of the layout than the other Joes, but she didn't get the opportunity to look over her new office.

When she finally found its wooden door, the nameplate on it really put a lot of things into prospective for her.

"Colonel Shana O'Hara, Director of Counter-Terrorism Operations, G.I. Joe."

Colonel, Shana O'Hara. A year ago, the Army barely trusted her to investigate a civilian factory, now she was leading a special operations unit into combat. Was she ready for that kind of responsibility?

She opened the door and glanced over her oak wood desk with computer terminal on the back wall. An American flag stood proud on the left side of the room while a Georgia state flag and a U.S. Army flag adorned the right. A shelf in between them held a number of smaller items, mostly all for display. A trifold flag along with a shadow box full of medals rested on the top shelf, while on the bottom was a folded combat uniform, a reminder that she still had a place on the battlefield.

She sat down heavily in her padded chair, taking a moment to close her eyes and breathe in her first breath as a newly forged leader.

When she opened them, standing right before her was Snake Eyes. It would have startled her if she wasn't used to him appearing out of nowhere.

He's gotten out of his dress uniform and now wore the simple, black fatigues he preferred. He stared at her blankly behind his polarized visor, emotionless as ever.

That is, when she didn't have her hands on him.

She cracked a smile and folded her fingers together.

"Aren't you gonna salute me soldier? I am your commanding officer now."

Snake eyes gave her a half hearted salute before glancing around her office, his movements slow, as though he was analyzing every last inch of it.

Scarlett laughed. Even he couldn't believe how far she'd come.

"We finally did it Snake," she said, stretching the emphasis on we.

She didn't want his role in getting her here to be forgotten. He saved her life more times than she could count. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if there were times he saved her life without her knowing.

Her lover only stared back at her, unable to articulate what he felt about what she said. The mask he wore and the loss of his voice cut off most forms of communication. Most of his nonverbal combination was imprecise at best. It was only when they were closest; sparring, fighting together, or making love that she could truly pierce that veil.

Soft caresses, the strong sound of his heart beat, his hands in her hair and her eyes locked on his all meant more to her than any words ever could.

"I saw the way Clutch looked at you," he signed.

Scarlett smiled and laughed.

"Why Snake Eyes. You're not jealous, are you?" She said with a grin. "Think I'm gonna run off with Clutch and leave you cold and alone?"

Scarlett knew he was probably blushing behind that mask of his. Snake eyes didn't get a chance to sign anything else before Scarlett stood and placed her hand on the side of his jaw, drawing him in and peeling up enough of his mask for her to kiss him.

"Well that'd be too bad for you, huh?" She whispered into his ear. "After all, no one is allowed to touch you but me."

Snake eyes smiled, weakly.

She wanted to break him out of that stoic shell again, even if it was just for a moment. He drew close to her until she started to peel up his mask. He always froze when she did this, no matter how Scarlett tried make it easier on him. His scars would always be something he was self conscious about.

Scarlett dropped her playful tone. gently pulled his visor away from his face, and then slowly lifted the rest of his mask away. The tangle of scars that greeted her still startled her every time. His face and upper body received the worst of his many burns, with the left side being the most affected. It physically hurt her to think about the pain he endured for years while recovering from this.

She gently ran the back of her hand over his scars. She knew there were no nerve endings left on his face. He wasn't able to feel this, but he still enjoyed it nonetheless. She trailed her hand down the front of his shirt as she stared him in his eyes. He would flinch every one and a while, when she hit a patch of skin that still had sensitive nerves. The lack of feeling on other parts of his body was compensated by increased sensitivity in the patch of skin that were left. Once she learned to touch him just right, it also gave Scarlett some extra leverage to get him to bend to her affection, something she appreciated when trying to get Snake Eyes to break out of his shell.

He leaned his head into her touch and smiled. Scarlett seized this rare moment of vulnerability and leaned in to kiss him. It was gentle. Not too much, not too little, just enough to get him to open up. Before she could even blink snake eyes made his way around the other side of the table. He kissed her back, maybe not as enthusiastically as Scarlett would have liked, but he was getting there. After all, they had until 21:00 to make a mess of this brand new office.

She moved her hands to his back and ran them along all of the sensitive patches, which she remembered like she just found them yesterday. He leaned in and carded his hands into her hair, kissing he more deeply pushing her back against the table lightly.

She smiled into the kiss. Now she was getting somewhere.

She trailed her hands down to the base of his shirt and slid her hands underneath it, peeling it up without much resistance from him, although she had trouble getting him to break away from her lips long enough to get it off of him.

The scars she revealed were even more horrific than the ones on his face. It looked like his body was made of modeling clay that someone dragged angry, talon tipped fingers through, tearing red and black gashes across his flesh in all directions. She put her hand over a scarred section near his heart, and nearly choked up at the thought of how he couldn't even feel her touch. He would never be able to. Cobra robbed him of that when they killed her father over some stupid piece of technology.

Snake Eyes recognized her distress and pulled her in for another, softer kiss. It was all he could do to tell her he was okay. That, and gently pushing her jacket off of her shoulders.

She sighed as she let him take it off, and then gently run his hands down the taper of her waist, coming to rest around her shirt hem. He pulled it up and over her head in one quick motion.

Seeing Scarlett's incredible beauty laid out for him and him only was always something that took Snake Eye's breath away. He'd never seen someone more beautiful. Her neck and waist tapered into the curve of her hip, giving her a someone soft and feminine appearance, but her toned muscle and strong, battle worn hands weren't lost on him. This long, red haired beauty who could seem so soft and delicate at times could be nothing less than a force of nature when she needed to be. Many an enemy stopped to stare at the beauty that would take their life only seconds later with a punch to the face or an arrow to the heart.

Yet somehow this deadly black widow chose to let him live. She told him he was everything to her, but sometimes, in spite of himself, he couldn't bring himself to believe that he was worth her time. What could a broken man like him offer her?

But when her emerald green eyes locked on his and then slowly closed as he unhooked her bra and pulled her flush against him he knew she meant every word she said. Somehow, she thought he was worthy of seeing her at her most vulnerable, and he would cherish every moment of it.

He threaded his fingers into her long, bright red hair, a part of her he always found beautiful. Scarlett smiled lazily as the rough skin of his damaged hands began to caress her, her skin heating up with every new movement. He started at her collarbone, and slowly worked his way down her chest, across her breasts and down to her stomach, placing kisses in sensitive areas and leaving no place without affection.

Scarlett's breath hitched as he slid a hand under the hem of her pants, gently prying the button open and unzipping them slowly.

Scarlet looked at him and smirked. She knew he didn't need any encouragement, but decided to grab him by his shoulders and shove him to his knees anyway. It was a helluva lot more fun than asking.

He placed a tender kiss on her core, causing her to suck in a sharp breath. He could already feel her heat.

Scarlett's hands clawed at Snake Eye's head roughly in an attempt to force him to continue. It had been more than a year since anyone but herself touched her like that, and even that was difficult when you were on the run. She didn't appreciate his teasing one bit.

"Fuck!" She exhaled sharply

She thanked her lucky stars there was a bulletproof door and a few feet of rock and concrete between them and anyone else because she knew she wouldn't be able to keep from making noise.

He slowly pulled her pants down to her ankles, and took his sweet time to admire every curve, tendon, and firm muscle, taking special care to massage or kiss any parts that were scared or tense.

Maybe if Scarlett hadn't just been through the sexual equivalent of eating MREs every day for a year, she would have appreciated the loving care she was receiving, but right now every nerve in her body screamed for relief.

"Snake eyes," she hissed demandingly as she dug her fingers deeper into his head.

He looked up and met her brilliant green eyes, and drank in her kiss swollen lips, flushed skin, and heavy breathing. The moment he met her gaze he knew his fun would have to wait. He couldn't deny her any longer what she so desperately wanted.

He finished undressing her, and leaned forward to place another kiss on her folds, before darting his tongue out to taste her. As his tongue met her warm, wet, velvety interior he got to experience her sweet taste.

Sometimes he wondered if she really did taste this good, or if it was just his mind playing tricks on him, and projecting the taste of southern honeysuckle he always associated with her.

Completely unaware of the intellectual argument going on in his head, Scarlett was still managing to enjoy herself. Her fingers dug painfully into the back of his head, forcing him to keep his attention focused on pleasuring her, something he didn't mind in the least.

She was being vocal enough for the both of them, and decided that if for some reason the walls weren't soundproof enough, she could pull rank on anyone who objected. After all, they weren't supposed to exist, and all of their formal records were expunged from the DOJ databases. Who would report a ghost for fraternization?

These thoughts only crossed Scarlett's mind for a short while before her thoughts faded to white. She stopped concerning herself with anything but the pleasure she was receiving from Snake Eyes. She let out several, breathy moans as he brought her closer to her climax. She swore if anything tried to get between her and Snake Eyes at that moment it would be dead before it hit the floor.

She was so close to finding sweet relief, and then all at once it hit her. She cried out as her orgasm hit her in waves and her sexual frustration evaporated. She felt her knees buckle, and was sure she was going to fall unceremoniously to the ground. Before she could move an inch, however, Snake Eyes had her in his arms. He gently guided her to the floor, letting her rest against her desk as his warm hands supported her back.

She was dripping with sweat, and her hair was plastered to her face. The cool air that caressed her skin did nothing to offset the burning heat that she felt on every inch of her body.

Snake Eyes gently reached up and brushed Scarlett's damp, Crimson hair out of her face. How could he tell her how stunning she looked just sitting there, her eyes closed and a contented smile on her face. He placed his hands on her hips and leaned forward, placing a tender kiss on her lips, which she returned with passion.

She acquiesced to Snake Eyes's touch as he leaned forward to kiss her instead. She needed only to relax while he ran his fingers through her hair and locked his lips with hers passionately.

She tasted herself on his lips, something she found she didn't mind at all. When she finally recovered enough to open her eyes she laughed aloud at her predicament.

"God, I must look pathetic," she said as she stared into Snake Eyes's black orbs.

"No, you're beautiful," he signed in return.

Now possessing enough mental capacity to move her arms, she placed her hands on snake eye's shoulders and pulled him in for a quick and rough kiss, before shoving him backward and into the floor. She crawled on top of him and rested her head near his ear.

"Your turn," she whispered softly in a voice tinged with white phosphorus.

Snake eyes didn't need to be told twice. He stretched out and got comfortable while Scarlett settled in on top of him. She looked so natural in this position. She was always one to give orders, and always one to be in charge. Snake Eyes saw other men respond to that in two ways; being turned on by it, and hiding that they were turned on by it.

She smiled seductively down at him as she lowered herself onto his aching member, taking him to the hilt and sighing in relief once again. Snake Eyes let out a strangled, choked cry that never made it past his vocal chords as her velvety heat enveloped him. He could only show his appreciation by reaching up to her soft breasts.

Scarlett sighed, fighting her exhaustion to gather the energy she needed, and then began to move.

Snake Eyes breathed heavily as jolts of pleasure shot through him. If only he had a voice to express how amazing this felt. He was as starved of intimacy as Scarlett, but he tried not to push her, no matter how great his need for her became.

Now, he wondered how he was able to wait even a few more minutes to experience this. He dug his fingers into her back, while his other hand massaged her breast. Oh what he would have given to have his voice to encourage her. His body tensed as he neared his climax, with Scarlett's rapid movements relentlessly bringing him closer to the edge.

Her walls began to clench tightly around him, her heat too much for him. A moment before the both of them climaxed, they managed to get enough to tell of themselves to meet each other's gaze. Scarlett's green eyes were hazy with lust as she stared down at him. Snake eyes stared intensely back at her. He didn't want his eyes closed when he came. He wanted to see the look on Scarlett's face as she came with him, and slowly settled into the bliss of just being together.

Scarlett waited until she could hold out no longer, and then came hard. She let out another violent scream as her walls clenched tightly around Snake Eyes's member, pushing him over the edge as he spilled himself into her. Euphoria overtook him as he felt his release. His mind went blank, and relief flooded him. Scarlett began to slow her movements, sighing in time with her last few thrusts, until she collapsed on top of him.

She nearly fell asleep. The only thing that prevented her from dozing off was her mind regaining just enough clarity to remember there was someone beneath her. Someone who loved her.

Snake Eyes's shaky finger began to trace symbols onto her back.

"...so beautiful," he barely managed to spell, "...love you."

She returned his affection with a sloppy kiss. Unable to form a sentence, much less write the kind of poetry that her feelings deserved.

"I love you too," she managed to draw.

Snake Eyes smiled quietly and softly up at her as he pulled her close to him, letting her use him as a giant pillow to rest against as she curled up and closed her eyes. Snake eyes wanted to close his eyes and clear his mind just as much as she did, but he couldn't bring himself to drift off before he was sure she was comfortable.

He waited until she was completely out, her breathing and heart beat slow before he slid himself out from under her and picked her up, carrying her gently to her adjoining quarters. She curled up against his chest instinctively. He smiled down at her. Even half asleep she was still drawn to him. It was powerfully endearing. He gently set her on the floor of the private shower that was attached to her small sleeping area, and ran a shower for her. The warm water woke her, but she didn't respond verbally other than to curl up against him.

When the sweat was thoroughly washed from her he dried her and laid her on her bed. She would want to look her best for the briefing tonight.

Silent laughter crinkled the corners of Snake's eyes. What if one of the Joes heard what they were up to in here? They would both surely draw a few stares when the briefing began. After a few cold stares from Scarlett and a demanding bark of orders they would all decide that there were better ways to go than pissing her off.

Snake silently watched her sleeping form. That was how she treated those she commanded, but only he knew this other side of her. She wasn't just the hard-ass leader the Joes respected and revered, she was also kind, soft, gentle, and understanding. She could split a heart in two or mend it with only a few, quick touches.

Snake Eyes let the honor of knowing her on this level sink in before he leaned in to kiss her goodnight. When he turned to leave, however, her hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, insistently pulling him back to her side where he belonged. He placed his hand over hers before crawling into bed next to her, feeling her breath gently caress him as he lay flush against her. He was sure that there would be many things that would try to come between them in the years to come, but right now, she was here with him, and that was at least half the battle.


End file.
